Centerville and Badin claim top Ohio high school baseball rankings as district play begins
Centerville retains Division I leadership despite a loss to Moeller, while Badin secures Division I top spot with overwhelming voter support.
Centerville and Badin have concluded the regular season as the top-ranked high school baseball teams in their respective divisions in Ohio, according to the final rankings released by the Ohio High School Baseball Coaches Association on Tuesday. The announcements set the stage for the district tournament, with semifinals commencing on May 26 and finals scheduled for late May.
Centerville (22-4) maintained its No. 1 position in Division I despite a challenging week that saw the team suffer a loss to No. 5 Moeller. The defeat occurred in a 1-2 week for the Eagles, yet they retained the top spot in the state rankings. Moeller, despite securing the victory against the state’s top-ranked team, dropped one place in the subsequent rankings release.
In Division II, Badin (23-3) secured the No. 1 ranking, receiving 14 of the 17 first-place votes from coaches. The Bulldogs demonstrated dominance during the final stretch of the regular season, producing two shutouts, including an 18-0 victory over Mount Healthy to open district tournament play.
Other teams finishing in the top five across divisions include No. 3 Troy (21-3) in Division II, No. 4 Tippecanoe (21-5) and No. 5 Butler (22-5) in Division III, No. 2 Coldwater (20-4) in Division V, and No. 3 St. Henry (22-3) and No. 5 Mechanicsburg (19-3) in Division VI.
The Division III bracket features the highest concentration of ranked teams from the Miami Valley, with six of the top-20 teams located in the region. Joining Tippecanoe and Butler are No. 6 Kenton Ridge (19-5), No. 7 Bellbrook (21-5), and No. 18 Monroe (18-6). Additional ranked teams include No. 8 Beavercreek, No. 11 Springboro, and No. 17 Lakota East in Division I, alongside No. 7 Arcanum, No. 8 Anna, and No. 15 Versailles in Division III.
Further down the rankings, No. 13 Northmont (17-9) leads Division II, while No. 10 Urbana (22-6) tops Division IV. In Division VII, Newton (19-4) holds the No. 6 spot, followed by Fort Loramie (15-9) at No. 11 and Russia (13-12) at No. 16.
District semifinals began on Tuesday, May 26, with the competition continuing on May 27. The district finals are scheduled to take place on Thursday, May 28, and Friday, May 29, determining the next phase of the state tournament path.
